Rising Vengeance
by Son of Santa
Summary: [New Chapter 6 up - slight addition] - A year has passed since Soltis, and the crew are having difficulties in the post-Valua period - but they have no idea what they're about to come up against...
1. Prologue

It's mine... all mine I tell you... ALL OF IT... MINE...no, no, please don't sue... ok, ok... *sobs* I admit it... I own nothing... *sobs* 

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**Rising Vengeance - _Prologue_   
_Matt Dovey_**

"Hmhmhmhmhmhmhm..." came the chuckle, dark and evil, rising to a crescendo then tailing off again, "...you cannot even comprehend what you have done. You feel you are safe, unrivalled in the known world... and indeed you are, for I am in places where no discoverer has gone before. But soon, soon will be the time when I shall rise again... and in more ways than one, hmhmhmhmhmhm..."

After several moments, the laugh subsided again. "Yes, and as I rise I shall truly ascend... hmhmhmhm... and you shall not know me, and thus I feel you shall not fear me properly... but I shall soon correct you, oh yes, hmhmhmhmhm...

"If you had any idea what awaited you... hmhmhm... you would not be boasting of your triumphs, nor parading around as a 'Living Legend', oh no, hmhmhm, you would be cowering, hiding, worrying, scared and alone with your fears and thoughts... hmhmhmhm, and I shall come and relieve your pain, by relieving the world of you!"

At this, the chuckle rose again, before breaking off in a series of small coughs, as if clearing a throat. "And then I shall take my rightful place, and be rid of the foulness which surrounds me now... I may be weak now, in this place, this unknown world, but when I rise I shall become magnificent! None shall stand before me, for they shall all bow! Even the moons themselves will do naught without my knowledge and consent, hmhmhmhmhm...

"And you will try, I know you will try, but it will be in vain, for truly is your world in vain... on some things people have been right... but those people are no more... hmhmhmhm... the world has not been pure until now, but it has not had me to correct it until now, hmhmhmhm... and once you have fallen, shall all the people fall... I shall repay you for what you have done to me before, but what you haved caused to me shall be your downfall. For if it had not been for your actions, your deeds, I would not be as I am now... as I have been fated to be, I see now, and as I shall always be... as I shall always be remembered too, hmhmhmhm...

"A true story never ends, Vyse, and the story of this world is everlasting, as my memory shall be. The memory of me, me who saved the world, its people and its destiny shall never die... and if I can perfect it the technology, as I shall never die, hmhmhmhmhm!..."

The laughing continued before being replaced by the coughing again. "Accursed place... but it is not long now, my beautiful doom*****, not long at all, hmhmhmhmhm..."

And thus did the chuckle continue on into the darkness, which swallowed all except the bitter thirst for vengeance.

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And just who was it being that evil and bitter and twisted and generally like me? Well if you can't guess I'm not telling, so :p   
Please read + review, cos like most peole I have a fragile ego at heart and it needs people to tell me how great I am every now and then. Also, I just want to know if I really am becoming far too twisted these days. But don't say who you think it is in this on the review board, I want people to see for themselves, if you REALLY feel the need to show off and tell me what you think, e-mail me at godofthemonkeys@hotmail.com.   
*****Incidentally, I used the word "doom" here in its truest sense - equal to that of fate and destiny. It never originally had the negative connotations it has since collected. Just so you knew.   
#~~Matt 


	2. Chapter One Battles and Sightings

It's mine... all mine I tell you... ALL OF IT... MINE...no, no, please don't sue... ok, ok... *sobs* I admit it... I own nothing... *sobs* 

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**Rising Vengeance - _Chapter One_**   
_Matt Dovey_

The wooden hull of the _Drachma_ cruised easily through the clouds, scattering a shoal of Moonfish as it sailed West over Nasr. A congratulations present from his father, Vyse had quickly gotten the ship modified to incorporate the Yafutoman engine design, and they had a ready supply of blue moonstone fuel back at Crescent Isle - also a congratulations gift, this one from the Yafutoman prince, Daigo.   
After the partying had ended and the loqua hangovers dissipated, various realities began to sink in. There were the vague problems of where is there left to go? What dreams are there left to dream? But as Captain, Vyse had to concern himself with the more realistic problem: how can we live? As an Air Pirate, they'd always lived off raids made on armed ships. But the Nasr fleet was destroyed, and Valua was now an ally, as was the newly discovered Yafutoma. After much thought and debate, it was decided that the only raids that could be made were against the Black Pirates. But with a ship the size of the Delphinus to run, as well as the _Drachma_ and enough crew, raids against the Black Pirates could not sustain them. So it was decided that Osman would leave the crew and instead would work as a freelance merchant, selling equipment to Crescent Isle at lower rates and trading any items that the Rogues found for them. They would also hire themselves out using the Delphinus, as it was not only the greatest battleship in the world, but also one of the only in the world now. They refused to partake in conflicts, but were usually hired for dealing with threats such as the Roc that had been seen above Ixa'Taka. These were rare jobs, but at least gave the crew a decent challenge once in a while, as opposed to the easily-defeated Black Pirates.   
They were after a Black Pirate ship now, so they had taken out the less recognisable _Drachma_ and headed towards North Ocean, where many Black Pirates could still be found. The Black Pirates had become more succesful since recent events, as armed ships were so low on the ground that the Black Pirates could attack who they wanted without fear of retribution. Thus, it seemed almost a duty to Vyse, to go over and keep them in check, as well as a chance to sail once more.   
As they came down beneath the cloud level once more, Vyse stretched and yawned. "Take the wheel for a bit, Don, I'm just off below decks for a rest."   
"Aye aye Cap'n," came the reply of Don. Now Lawrence had left to find another job, Don had become the sole helmsman in Vyse's crew. He was starting to get yearnings as deep as his soul now though, to go out and make his own glory, possibly to help revive Esperanza, which was getting livelier by the day since the disappearance of the sky rift after the sinking of Soltis. But for now, he was happy in here.   
Vyse walked to the back of the bridge, and swung himself down the stairs on the banisters, taking 5 steps at a time. He walked quickly to the door of the brig, turning the handle and opening it even as he walked through. As he walked over to a seat, he moved his shoulders in little circles, releasing some of the tension in them. He almost dropped down onto a seat, relaxing his muscles completely. He leant back against the wall, breathing deeply and closing his eyes. As he began to fall into asleep, his hearing caught the "click" of the door handle being turned slowly. Dragging his eyelids open, he looked across to the door. "Unnh..." he yawned, "hey Fina."   
"Hey Vyse... I didn't mean to wake you, sorry. It makes a change to see you even sitting down, you know. You've been doing way too much recently." She walked over to him, and sat next to him, taking one of his hands in both of hers. "You need to learn to let other people do things for you."   
"Fina, you know as well as I do that things haven't been as easy recently, with so many people leaving us again. And as the Captain, it's my responsibility to see everything gets done, and it's easier for me to just do it than to explain it to someone else, as often as not."   
"Your crew isn't stupid, Vyse, they can learn new things. All they need is someone to guide them along every now and then. We could teach everyone something new. I could learn cooking, and we could probably get Aika to dress up as a Jester," smiled Fina.   
"Heh," laughed Vyse, "I'll let you tell her that she's going to do that now." He yawned again. "I don't know... maybe you're right. We'll take some time off when we get back, get some rest and work out what everyone can do."   
Fina smiled at him. "That sounds better than you being a one man crew, huh?" She squeezed his hand.   
"Vyse, we need you on the bridge again, something's come up," came the echoey voice of Aika through a speaking tube. Fina kissed Vyse on the cheek quickly then got up, releasing his hand. "What are you doing Captain, sitting around when your crew needs you? Get a move on!"   
Vyse shook his head at her as he smiled, slowly standing and stretching. "I guess you'll just have to find a replacement, huh?" He walked over to the door, still stretching his legs as he went. He opened the door, waiting and holding it open for Fina who had followed him. Once she had passed through, he let the door swing back on its own as they both went back up to the bridge. 

"Ok, what's happening?" asked Vyse as he walked back into the bridge, instantly regaining his air of command.   
"Hey again Vyse," welcomed Aika, "it's Baltor again."   
Vyse rolled his eyes. "Ah well, at least he's a bit more of a challenge than most, and we'll get a fair bit off him I suppose." He moved over to his battle-station, leaving Don with the wheel. Fina went to her place, and Aika finished what she was doing before move to her station as well. "Alright guys, standard procedure for this battle, Baltor's got some powerful guns but doesn't take much damage, so its a case of offence is the best defence. Take him down as quick as we can and we should be ok. Alright, let's go!"   
The two ships moved towards each other quickly, circling slightly. Both waited for some signal to begin. As the two ships passed broadside of each other, a bird out of view of both ships called out loudly, and the battle began.   
Baltor's cannons rang out, the foremost ones launching a heavy lead ball at the _Drachma_. Don spun the wheel rapidly as Fina launched a pair of torpedoes, leaning the ship away from the shot, but the ball still caught the keel of the ship, splintering the wooden hull. As the _Drachma_ righted itself again, Aika lined up the secondary cannons against the _Blackbeard_, firing them off as the center of the ship passed by. The _Blackbeard_ shook with the impact, and as a result the shot of its own secondary cannons went flying high into the sky, narrowly missing the bird that had signalled the start of the battle. As the _Blackbeard_ attempted to right itself and regained its course, Aika fired off a second shot from the secondary cannons. her blow landing almost simultaneously with Vyse's shot from the main cannon. The _Blackbeard_ shook violently, a series of small fires starting up near the engine's. Although the damage was crippling, Baltor still seemed to be limping on, when Fina's torpedoes came crashing down, embedding themselves in the deck before exploding, a mist of splinters billowing high into the air, a smudge against the yellow moon now visible in the distance. His ship half missing, the fires starting to take hold, Baltor slowly turned away from the _Drachma_, attempting to retreat first. Vyse directed Don to pull along beside him, and went out onto the deck. As the two ships pulled level, Vyse shouted across to the _Blackbeard_'s deck, where Baltor stood, almost quivering with rage.   
"Hey Baltor! Still not given up?"   
"You just wait Vyse, one day I'll beat you! Your arrogance will be your downfall!"   
"Hehe, see you soon then Baltor?" laughed Vyse as he turned and walked back inside. 

"Let's head over to Pirate Isle, it's been a while since we visited," announced Vyse, back at the wheel.   
"Sounds good to me," grinned Aika from her station. 

The _Drachma_ glided up to Pirate Isle easily, slowing to a halt on the west side of the small island. Vyse, Aika and Fina all boarded a small boat and quickly made their way across to the landing dock. Stepping off their boat, they were greeted by Briggs, the Vice-Captain to Dyne. "Nice to see you kids back home again," he smiled at them.   
"It's nice to be back," beamed Aika in reply.   
"Is Dad in his office, Briggs?" asked Vyse, stretching out again, breathing in the air and stamping on the solid ground.   
"As always, Vyse."   
"Great, I'll go down and see him, you guys can look around if you want and I'll catch up later." Vyse set off down the ramp, still shaking out some of the tension in his body.   
"Let's get going Fina, I want to see if my old house is still here! C'mon!" said Aika excitedly, "Catch you later Briggs!" 

The sky was a glorious wash of oranges and deep reds, sweeping over both the sky and the clouds within it, and contrasting beautifully against the shine of the silver moon which rose high above Mid Ocean. Vyse, Aika and Fina sat on the grass of Lookout Isle, lying on their fronts and taking in the sunset with wide eyes.   
"I can remember..." came the soft voice of Fina, speaking from her memories, "the first time we sat together up here... it was all so new to me, even the grass we're laying on, the sunset we're lost in now..." She sighed, lost momentarily in her thoughts. Vyse and Aika lay still, gazing into the sunset, while Fina looked down at the grass in front of her, before the pair of them turned to look at the blonde Silvite. Just as Aika opened her mouth to say something, the sky was filled with a sound like a hundred thunderclaps. The trio covered their ears, staying low to the grass. When they looked up again, there was a thin white line near Shrine Island, stretching from Deep Sky in an almost vertical line to the high heavens. "What the..." muttered Vyse as he stood up to look up at the top of the trail, disappearing off as high as the moons.   
"It looks like something went into Deep Sky, Vyse!" said Aika as she too stood up.   
"Either into it... or out," pondered Fina, who was still laying down.   
Vyse and Aika both looked at her silently. "That trail is near Shrine Island, which means it's near the Vortex... if anything were to come out, it would come out there," she continued.   
"You're right," agreed Vyse, "and the way that trail fades near Deep Sky... We'll have to investigate tomorrow, we can't do anything now, none of the crew are ready at all."   
"I guess so..." came the voice of Aika, "we better go and get some sleep now anyway, the sun's almost gone now." She signalled to the western sky, where the last crimson rays of brilliance smudged the horizon. 

I know it's taken me ages to get this up, I've been kinda busy... however, I'm now on study leave, so have got lots of free time :) I just need to work out where the hell this story is headed, lol. R+R if you care, flame if you don't, they're always funny. Thanks :)   
#~~Matt 


	3. Chapter Two Agony and Theories

It's mine... all mine I tell you... ALL OF IT... MINE...no, no, please don't sue... ok, ok... *sobs* I admit it... I own nothing... *sobs* 

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**Rising Vengeance - _Chapter Two_**  
_Matt Dovey_

As the dawn broke across the eastern sky, the light exploding out across the world, Fina sat up from the bed she had been sleeping in in Captain Dyne's house, next to Vyse's bed. She felt weary, her muscles aching with tiredness and her head aching with stress. She had been worrying all night about what had happened the night before... Seeing something fly out of the vortex, so close to where Soltis had been sunk... It could be anything, another creation of the Silver Civilisation that she did not know of, another dark heart of evil in the glory of this world... But as she looked across at Vyse, all her aches drained from her, mind and body. For once he looked at rest, peaceful, his features relaxed and lost in the calmness of sleep... She smiled as she looked at him, absently brushing a piece of hair behind her ear. She stayed sat on the edge of her bed for some time, enjoying the calm of daybreak and the sight of Vyse. She knew she loved him very much as a friend, and respected him very much as a Captain, but she still didn't know quite how far that love went, and she didn't want to risk the balance of things now for something she wasn't even sure she wanted. She shook her head, scattering her thoughts and causing the few hairs to fall forward of her ear again. Brushing it back once more, she stood up and quietly padded over to the edge of the room, where her clothes hung against the wall. Although she moved without haste, she was quickly dressed, leaving her veil off. She decided to carry her shoes, so that she wouldn't wake Vyse or the rest of the family as she left. She moved over to the ladder almost silently, her bare feet sinking slightly into the rugs that covered the wooden floorboards. She negotiated the ladder easily, her time on a pirate ship having taught her to climb in difficult conditions, and one-handed whilst holding a pair of shoes was no problem to her now. She swiftly moved to the door and out the house, not having to worry about creaking floorboards whilst on the ground floor. As she stood at the door, she slipped her shoes on, and closed the door quietly behind her. Taking a deep breath of the fresh morning air, she smiled as she let the calm quietness of the dawn surround and embrace her. Walking across the dew-covered grass, her footprints staying in the ground behind her, she made her way up to the ramp, and from there up the ladder to Lookout Isle again. She sat on the bench rather than the grass, not wishing to dampen her clothes or stain them. The trace from the vortex was still visible, though not as strong as the night before; there had not been much of a wind to blow it away overnight. She could feel malevolence emanating from trail, even though it was no more than a memory of what had gone before. She shuddered at the thought of what could have left it, all her overnight worries flooding back. 

"Morning Aika," greeted Vyse from the breakfast table as Aika walked through his front door, not bothering to knock. She flashed a grin back at him, then looked around the room.   
"Where's Fina?"   
Vyse swallowed another mouthful of his mother's porridge. "Just upstairs," he answered, already lifting another spoonful to his mouth. Smiling at Vyse again, Aika quickly climbed up the ladder, swinging over the top and landing softly on the floorboards. She saw Fina sat on the edge of her bed, quiet and pensive.   
"You ok, Fina?" she asked as she walked over and sat next to her.   
Fina looked up, smiling. "Yes, fine, thank you very much."   
Aika looked at her, not moving, and Fina looked away, slightly uncomfortable. "Fina, we've known each other long enough now, you don't have to pretend you're ok."   
Fina kept her head down, looking at the ground, then sighed. "I'm just worried about what we saw... that trail, it was so close to where Soltis sunk, and I'm afraid that it might be something else created by one of my descendants... I didn't get much sleep at all last night because I was so worried." She looked at Aika again, biting her bottom lip through embarrassment.   
"Oh Fina..." said Aika as she embraced the Silvite, "it's ok! We'll go out and check it this morning, it might be nothing!"   
"But it might be something..." said Fina quietly.   
Aika stayed quiet, and hung her head for a moment. Then she looked up again, smiling. "But it might be nothing! C'mon, let's get downstairs and bug Vyse!" She grabbed Fina's hand and dragged her up off the bed. Fina couldn't help but be infected by Aika's enthusiasm, and just managed to grab her veil off her bed before she was pulled downstairs. 

The breakfast table had been cleared and was being used as a planning table, the little planning that needed doing. Vyse was stood looking over a map of Mid Ocean that lay on the table, and Aika and Fina were seated at the sides of the table.   
"That's where Shrine Island is, and The Vortex is just south of it... if we assume that whatever came out _did_ come out of there, that should be where we start looking. I don't know what we'll find, but we might find something. Besides, it's pretty much on the way home anyway, and if we go that far north then we might just run into some more Black Pirates as we go back over Nasr," he grinned. "I've just got some more stuff to sort out with Dad, then we can get going!" 

The trio met up again by the docking island, Briggs for once being occupied elsewhere on the island. "Let's get going," smiled Vyse as he walked up the ramp towards Aika and Fina. Boarding the small boat they used to come ashore in, they made their way back to the _Drachma_, informing the rest of the small crew that they were on board again, before resuming their positions in the bridge. Vyse held the wheel, and they set off towards Shrine Island. 

Shrine Island was soon in sight, the _Drachma_ being a fast ship, despite (or perhaps because of) it's small size. The atmosphere on the bridge was, despite Aika's best attempts to cheer it up, one of tense expectation and worry. Aika and Fina came forward to stand by Vyse at the wheel as they came closer to The Vortex, when Fina suddenly took a sharp intake of breath, as if in pain, and clasped her hands to her chest, where a faint silver light was beginning to glow through. Vyse and Aika stood in horror as the Silver Moon Crystal in Fina's chest glowed ever brighter, before coming out of her skin without breaking it. Fina's face was drawn and stretched, then screwed up and wound in agony, her breathing shallow and rapid as she clenched her teeth against the pain. Her mouth opened wide in a scream, which died down as she swayed and fell to the floor, fainting from the pain. Vyse dived to catch her as Aika grabbed hold of the wheel he had let go.   
"Aika, get her below decks now, and _do not leave her_... I'm taking us straight back home, we'll have to look back here some other time!" 

Vyse took the _Drachma_ above cloud level to avoid any trouble. He flew the ship straight north-east as fast as he could, waiting until he had sight of the Island at the End of the Rainbow before dropping below cloud level and heading due North. As the ship pulled close to Crescent Isle, Don took over the helm so that Vyse could go and help Aika with Fina. Don guided the ship into the port with practised ease, Brabham engaging the clamps to keep the ship in position. Almost as soon as the ship had stopped, Vyse was making his way down the ramp rapidly, the still-limp Fina held close in his arms. He sent Aika to tell Ilchymis briefly what had happened to Fina, and to bring him to Fina's room as quickly as possible. He then went straight to her room himself, and lay Fina down on her bed gently. Even though she was unconscious, her face was still lined with pain, containing none of its usual radiance and light. He was still looking at her face, worry scrawled on his own, when Aika and Ilchymis entered, both looking equally as concerned. Ilchymis hurried over to the bed, shuffling Vyse out of the way. He lay his cheek against her mouth, and his hand on her forehead. He stayed still for a moment, then frowned. He sat up and reached into a pocket, pulling out a flannel, then retrieved a bottle from the depths of another pocket. Twisting the lid off with the flannel, he began to pour the contents onto the flannel.   
"What's that?" asked Vyse, his words coming out in a rush of concern.   
Ilchymis looked up at him. "It's water, Vyse. I find it best to carry a bottle with me wherever I go, it always comes in useful."   
"Oh," was all Vyse could say as Ilchymis put the flannel to Fina's head.   
"Now out, all of you, she needs rest and I somehow doubt that you two will help that by being in here," said Ilchymis as he rose, putting the empty bottle back in his pocket. He left the room, Aika following. Vyse lingered momentarily, looking at Fina's sleeping form.   
"We'll look after you, don't worry Fina." With that, he turned and softly closed the door behind him. 

Ilchymis remained quiet, deep in concentration, resting on his right hand with his elbow leaning on the table up in the meeting room. Vyse had just told him all of what had happened in Mid Ocean, and watched Ilchymis now, hoping he had some theory about what had happened. Ilchymis began to sketch on a piece of paper absent-mindedly with a pencil, rough doodles that had no real form.   
"You say that the last time, and indeed only previous time, that this happened, was when Ramirez used his Silver Moon Crystal, correct?"   
Vyse nodded slowly. "Yes, when he took off his glove and exposed his crystal."   
"Then that would suggest that it would be the presence of a lot of Silver power that would trigger this," mused Ilchymis, as much to himself as to Vyse. He began to draw a map of the world very roughly, sketching in names back-to-front, a common skill of left-handed people. "Near The Vortex... Soltis... Silver Moon..." he muttered quietly. He looked up at Vyse suddenly, his piercing blue eyes engaging Vyse. "Can you remember the theory I once aired about Deep Sky?"   
Vyse's face went blank as he tried to drag up the memory. "I... think so, but I'm not sure."   
"When we first discovered that Valua were making forays into Deep Sky, I developed a theory on why the pressure in Deep Sky is so great. When the Rains of Destruction were first called down, many moonstones missed the lands; then as now, much of the world was empty sky. These stones that did not strike land will have plunged down into Deep Sky, and gathered on the surface we now know exists down there. Over the course of the years many more moonstones have fallen, with similar effect. Also, since Soltis was sunk after the Rains of Destruction, many Silver Moonstones have fallen down into Deep Sky with hardly any land in the way to stop them. My theory was that all these moonstones would create a strong pull of gravity, creating the pressure." Vyse nodded mutely, remembering Ilchymis' original explanation now. "If we extrapolate this hypothesis, we can suggest that this gravity has also acted upon the fallen moonstones." He threw away the top piece of paper he had been sketching on, and began to hurriedly draw several small circles on a fresh piece. "If we say that these moonstones here," he indicated his sketch, "are all pulling on one another, they would over time be drawn together." With a few flurries of movement from his left hand he drafted in a few arrows. "With the sheer volume of moonstones in Deep Sky, this pull would be immense, and the moonstones would be pulled together, gradually moulding into one over many generations." His sketch became that of one, larger shape within a few deft flicks of the pencil. "Over time, this single moonstone would also become more pure."   
"How?" interrupted Vyse, concentration still written across his face.   
"Previous studies by Valua had shown that the flecks of moondust in moonstone, the particles that contained the rawer power, were more dense than the moonrock the dust is locked inside in moonstones. Therefore, under the extreme gravity and pressure that applies in Deep Sky, these moondust particles will be physically drawn to each other. They will collect in the centre of the moonstone as the outer layers of moonrock flake off - other studies have shown that it is the moondust that holds the stones together." He looked up at Vyse to ensure the Captain was following. Vyse was staring at the sketches, so Ilchymis returned to his theory. "This is essentially a natural form of the distillation process done by the ancient civilisations; these pure moonstones will have a power approaching, if not equivalent to, the Moon Crystals." Vyse's head looked up suddenly at this, his eyes wide and attentive. "If what you described to me is true... whatever left Deep Sky could have done so on these pure moonstones, possibly as a food of some sort. In that case, all that left Deep Sky was a creature and you have little to worry about. However, it could still be dangerous, or something else entirely, so do not be complacent. Either way, the use of these pure moonstones would have left a massive amount of residual Silver energy, and it is that that caused Fina to react in that way; all she needs then is time to recover."   
Vyse nodded slowly, thinking.   
"I think you have done very well for understanding that, Vyse. There are many who would not have understood it as easily as you have appeared to."   
"Don't expect to hear me going around explaining it in-depth to anyone else, though," smiled Vyse, "I'm not as clever as you make me out to be."   
"You underestimate yourself sometimes, Vyse. But that should not be any reason for you to take this matter lightly; it could still be more than an animal that escaped Deep Sky. These pure moonstones, like their normal brethren, could still be used as fuel." 

* * *

Well this one got up quicker than the last chapter :)   
I wasn't originally planning to end it here, but it had gotten long enough already, plus I've been working on it for around six hours now, lol. Course, this means the next chapter will be up fairly soon as well ;)   
Sorry for it being so science heavy, but these things need to be explained, and this should be the worst of it (I think). Incidentally - Ilchymis' theory about the pressure in Deep Sky IS from the game - get Ilchymis in your crew, then talk to him on the Delphinus at some point before the last battle, I think. The whole extrapolation about pure moonstones is all mine though.   
· I know that started looking romantic near the start, apologies for that... I've got no plans for this fic to involve any romance at all, it just seemed appropriate that Fina would be thinking SOMETHING at the start there, plus it gave a nice chance to explain away any immediate relationships. But as I only ever plan each chapter as I have to write it and have no real overall plot yet, just an ending I'm working towards (bad style, I know -_-;;), something might happen yet. But please don't start making requests, I'll only do it if it seems natural, so :þ to you all.   
· Also, Ilchymis being left-handed is fanon, not canon, I think anyway. As far as I know I just made it up, I certainly can't recall any mention of it in the game. He just strikes me as a left-handed person in his approach to life, I'm probably being influenced by the Terry Pratchett novel _The Last Hero_, it wouldn't surprise me. Feel free to have him as left handed in your stories as well, I just thought I'd point out it's not a definite thing.   
Till next time...   
#~~Matt 


	4. Chapter Three Attacks and Revelations

It's mine... all mine I tell you... ALL OF IT... MINE...no, no, please don't sue... ok, ok... *sobs* I admit it... I own nothing... *sobs* 

* * *

  


**Rising Vengeance - _Chapter Three_**  
_Matt Dovey_

Vyse stood still, radiating mute respect as he stared at Captain Drachma's grave. Not long after the sinking of Soltis, the old fisherman had passed away painlessly in his sleep, happy and content. Vyse had soon named his new wooden ship after the old Captain, as he had yet to decide on a name for it at the time anyway. Vyse was now looking at the gravestone, but remembering the Captain, who had helped them so much, taught him so much, shown him the way so much... Without Drachma, Vyse reflected, I wouldn't be where I am today, nor who I am today. Casting his eyes downward to the dew-soaked grass. He felt the sun start to warm on his back, and looked up, his shadow being cast over the gravestone. He stared again, thinking it strange how he still stood in Drachma's shadow in many respects; the old man's cunning, bravery and comradeship were all still with him so much of the time. He read the inscription through again, like so many times before, even though he had written it himself: "He never stopped pursuing his dreams and goals, and found something far better than he could have hoped for in the end." 

Fina began to recover slowly over the next couple of days, awaking after a day of sleep. She was still frail, but was not completely incapable; she would often sit behind the rooms to face the lake, or even at the top of the island looking out into the sky. She became restless, but her fatigue would soon overtake her, and she would return to her bed. Vyse and Aika attended to her continually, looking after her, but she craved independence, a characteristic which was becoming more evident as time went by - she seemed determined to be useful in herself, and not rely on others for anything except their friendship. 

It was three days after the sighting, and Vyse was sat outside the meeting room, leaning on the rail and looking across the island. The rest of the crew was asleep, but Vyse's head was still buzzing with worries and theories. He had become increasingly restless over the past few days - he had no leads, no clues as to what came out of The Vortex or where it was now, only that it was powerful, almost as powerful as a Moon Crystal, potentially. He was mulling over the possibilities and not really watching the island, engrossed in his thoughts, when a huge bang jerked him from his contemplation. He stood upright in a shock, and looked down at the plaza, where the fountain was in pieces, as if struck by a great explosion. As he watched the fire take hold on the grass, he saw something streak down out of the corner of his eye, hitting the rock face to his left before exploding again. The impact with which the projectiles hit ruled out moonstones, they didn't explode like this, which meant that as unbelievable as it sounded right now... they were being attacked! 

The cleanup began next morning. No-one was hurt, apart from a few bruises where people fell out of bed from shock. The damage extended to the fountain and the surrounding grass (the fire had been put out quickly), various impacts on the rock face and the tent that had previously been Kalifa's. The rebuilding work was not huge, but the camp was not moving now.   
An unexploded torpedo had been found, and Brabham was looking over it now. He seemed puzzled, and was being very careful with the weapon.   
"Well Cap'n, I'm darned if I can find any explosive in it, blow me over if it doesn't look like it's already been disarmed."   
"Hmm... can you open it then? There might be something inside that could give as a clue as to who did this."   
"Sure thing, Cap'n, won't be a minute," grinned Brabham, already reaching for a screwdriver. He ran the tool along a seam that was invisible until it was pointed out, or unless you knew it was there. He moved it slowly, until it suddenly caught slightly. With a satisfied smile, he jammed the screwdriver in, then levered open the torpedo. Taking away the upper casing to the head of the torpedo, he revealed the inside of the defunct weapon.   
"There ya go Cap'n," he smiled up at Vyse, before looking down again. "Huh? What's this?" He reached inside the torpedo, and pulled out a small, folded square of paper. He opened it out slowly, and began to read it, his head moving from side to side as he scanned it. "Uh, Cap'n... I think it's for you."   
"Huh? Oh, pass it here then," blinked Vyse, slightly confused. He took the paper carefully from Brabham, and began to read. 

To Captain Vyse, the Blue Rogue;   
I'm sure this letter finds you in good health, as much as I hope that my little surprise for you caused you considerable actual harm; however, I realise this is unlikely. Therefore, be warned; I am not defeated as you thought I was, nor am I weak, as I expect you think I am. I am where you cannot reach me, where you cannot stop me; and I shall fall upon you with all the fury and vengeance of the moons themselves, the very moons I sit next to now. I shall take my rightful revenge upon you, Vyse, and I shall ensure the world knows my name! I, Admiral De Loco swear this by the moons themselves. I am coming for you now, Vyse, and you will not be able to stop me!

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Yes, as certain people guessed in their reviews (despite me asking that guesses on who it is in the prologue NOT be posted), it's De Loco. He's a cool character to get inside of, all twitchy and psychotic and twisted as hell. Plus, I got fed up of it always being Ramirez as the bad guy; he's dead, people, learn to be original and make a different nemesis for Vyse. Anyway, it'll be a couple of weeks before this gets updated again, I'm going to be slightly busy this next week (I'll spare you all the details), but I know where the story is going, I actually have a plan for the plot and stuff.   
Well, enjoy :)   
#~~Matt 


	5. Chapter Four Assaults and Discoveries

It's mine... all mine I tell you... ALL OF IT... MINE...no, no, please don't sue... ok, ok... *sobs* I admit it... I own nothing... *sobs* 

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**Rising Vengeance - _Chapter Four_**  
_Matt Dovey_

Vyse sat in the meeting room, staring at the letter. Much of the crew had been tied up in clearing away rubble and rebuilding what had been destroyed, leaving Vyse very much to his own thing. He had spent some hours now looking at the letter, hoping to find some sign that it was not real, that it could not be... It seemed impossible that it was really De Loco, but there was still someone up there. It was clear from the letter, and the attack, that whoever had attacked had done so from a great height. Whether they had indeed gotten as high as the moons, as the message claimed, was debatable, but they were higher than the Delphinus could manage to reach, judging by the trajectory and power of the attack. That left just one option, if the attacker were to be investigated (as Vyse intended) - Fina's Silvite ship. He stared down at the message a moment longer, tapped his fingers twice on the table and stood up. Walking out the door, leaving it to slam behind him, he headed down to the crew quarters to talk to Aika and Fina. 

"It's obvious enough that what attacked us did it from way up high," explained Vyse, "and the only ship we've got that can get us up to that kind of height is yours, Fina."   
Vyse was standing talking with Aika and Fina, outlining what he wanted to do. The fire in his voice and eyes was all too evident; Vyse didn't want to risk another attack on his crew.   
"But that ship hasn't got any weapons, Vyse, we'll be defenceless against whoever's up there! I don't think they'll be too happy to see us, you know."   
"We need to get up there Fina, I can't risk another attack on the island! That ship of yours has got speed, if we get into trouble it won't be too hard to get away!"   
Fina kept quiet her doubts that she'd already been caught in that ship once. 

Vyse had began preparing straight away after outlining his plans to Aika and Fina (they had had little choice in the matter - Vyse was determined). By mid-afternoon, Vyse had informed the senior crew what was happening and delegated responsibilities for while he was away. He was already waiting at the top of Crescent Isle, by Fina's ship, with a look of impatience on his face, when Aika and Fina turned up. After a few last minute checks of equipment and some emergency supplies in case of the worst, they all boarded the Silvite ship and set off. 

"Take her to top speed, Fina!" yelled Vyse over the roaring of the wind. He still had that determined look on his face, a kind of joy in his eyes that the hunt was on again; it had been a year or more since the defeat of Ramirez, and there had been no other threats to challenge him in that time. In a way, it felt good to be in danger again, with a challenge and an aim to drive him; it was what shaped him, and made his life worth living.   
As Fina pushed the ship to its maximum speed, Aika clung to a side. Although she felt she was being dragged along by events and Vyse yet again, it was what she enjoyed best - the chance to fight, to test herself, and to have that shared ecstacy of victory with Vyse, her old friend. She closed her eyes against the moisture in the air as the Silvite ship raced through yet another bank of clouds. She couldn't help herself as a grin broke out across her face.   
Fina gripped the ship controls tightly, squinting her eyes against the unmasked sun they now faced that they had passed through the clouds. As she levelled the ship off, she slowed it down too, so that they could look around. Although she had her doubts about the whole idea, she had to admit that she felt like she hadn't felt for a year... yet she felt better this time. There was the old excitement, the old fire of battle back in her, the joy in her companionship with the others... But this time, there was none of the apprehension there had been when facing Ramirez, none of the doubts, memories or, above all, the bitter sorrow.   
The ship slowed to a stop, hovering gently, only a quiet hum indicating that the ship still ran. There was not much wind up here, now; the silence was beautiful, all-encompassing, serene, and the air was fresh and beautiful, if a little thin. The three stood in the ship, casting their eyes about, when a sudden explosion off to starboard threw them to the floor. Vyse was the first back on his feet, looking about with a dangerous glare in his eye. Another explosion went off to port, but further away. Vyse looked about more hurriedly, his head switching from side to side. He lifted his eye patch, trying to get a better field of vision. As he did, he caught a glint of metal, a flicker of sunshine to the aft of the ship; something was falling down... Then it exploded. Vyse looked up, and saw a spark in the sky, like a star... Re-fitting his eye patch, he zoomed in. It took him a moment to find the ship again, but when he did, he stepped back in surprise. As he did, another explosion rocked the boat from behind again, Vyse gritting his teeth as he fell once more. When the ship had stopped shaking, he stretched over to the controls and started the ship moving away again, straining to build the speed up. With another glance upwards, he pushed the nose downwards towards the cloud, as another explosion caught the rear of the ship, sending it tumbling downwards with no power, spiralling through the white clouds erratically. 

"Ungh..."   
The first sensation he felt was the heat; the dry, burning heat surrounded him and made his skin crawl. As he drifted closer towards consciousness, he began to feel it burn through his eyelids, and he rolled over and shaded his eyes before opening them. Keeping his head low against the sand he could feel, he gradually began to see again, and the ugly blotches that floated about his vision disappeared. Shading his eyes and glancing around, he spotted Aika and Fina stranded nearby, and the Silvite ship, which appeared to be buried in the sand. Grunting, he hauled himself up, vaguely dusting off any loose bits of sand still attached to him. He walked slowly over towards the sleek craft, his legs stiff and aching - he guessed he had been unconscious some time. As he got closer to the craft, he frowned; the front end wasn't visible, which he had assumed to mean it was buried... But as he approached it now he could see the violent cracks, the jagged edges where the front end had been torn off. He raised his head, casting his gaze around frantically, but he couldn't spot it anywhere, not even with the help of his eyepatch. With growing dismay his eyes kept coming back to the land edge some 200 yards from where they were; looking back at Fina's ship, he could see it was facing towards the ocean, and away from a rocky outcrop, surrounded by small flashes of light, metallic glints... Vyse groaned and sank to his knees, his logic bringing back the memories of the ship striking the rock, throwing out the Blue Rogues, spinning through the air, then the blackness... then, like the breaking of the dam that follows the trickle, the other memories came flooding back. The ship that he had seen up there was unmistakable, even though it seemed to shine silver; it had had huge claw dangling at the front, a domed bridge on top like no other ship had, no other ship except the Chameleon, which meant that - impossible as it was - it was De Loco... 

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Well folks, it's been a helluva long time (a month and a half, lol), but it's a new chapter... it's shorter than it could have been because I'm lazy, and don't like long chapters anyway... I might get round to finishing this soon, if not for the facts that a) I'm lazy, b) It's got to contend with my urge to write a dark fantasy, and c) I've forgotten the plan for it, having worked it out in the end of an exam and thus not having been able to write it down... Also, I have a webcomic to start again. Life is so hard.   
Anyway, I hope some of you new authors I've been reviewing for feel a twinge of debt and review this :p my ego is FRAGILE and needs STROKING on a REGULAR basis. Ok, enough Mr. T shouting.   
#~~Matt 


	6. Chapter Five Plans and Love

_All new: Author's Notes at the start :)   
**Disclaimer:** I'm sorry if I have in any way offended, harmed or generally annoyed anyone who has any real claim to Skies of Arcadia, but I'm just jealous. I want to pretend to be more like you by thinking in my own head I own a little bit of this game, when, in truth, the game holds a little bit of me. But I'm not doing this to annoy you deliberately or ruin anything about the game, so please be nice to me in the courts, because I know none of its mine really.   
**Reviews:** ...are always nice, but after 8 months, I'm really needing inspiration for this again, lol. And tell me where I'm going wrong in how I write - do you like my style? Am I too descriptive? My speech stilted and unrealistic? I need to know, because I very much take what is said to heart and try and do something about it...   
**Overview:** I recognise that after 8 months, your memory on this story might be a bit rusty. So, if you haven't read the rest of the story in some time... "Last time, in this story", the three Rogues had gone up in Fina's ship and spotted De Loco's ship, after an attack on Crescent Isle. They were attacked whilst up there, and last time we left them, they had been stranded in the desert... 

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**Rising Vengeance - **

__Chapter Five_  
_Matt Dovey_

Vyse quickly revived the others and, with their help, found a rocky structure that they could shelter behind, in the shade. Although it was not much cooler and the dry heat still burned their throats, they could at least see easier, and they were safe from sunburn, a point that was especially important to Fina, whose pale Silvite skin did not hold up well in the sun. 

"There's no chance of us repairing the ship - even if one of us was a mechanic, we've lost the front half, and we've no tools, materials, anything... So we have two options left to us," said Vyse, quietly. Adverse situations rarely got to him, but right now things seemed desperate - no-one even knew they had gone, as they were trying to keep the possibility of De Loco hidden from the crew. Besides, even if people did know, they wouldn't know that they'd ended up here...   
"I have a feeling I'm not going to like either of them," grumbled Aika.   
"Firstly, we can start walking. It's hard to tell where we are for now, but if we can spot a landmark of some kind that's shown on the maps, I can get us to somewhere civilised. However, we have no food, we have no water, we have nothing to shade us from the sun and Red Moon, and we could be days away from anywhere, so it's not very viable. The second option is to try and signal someone - either try and get something from the remains of the ship together, or lay out a design in the sand." There was a silence as the three crew members contemplated this option, looking at each other. "The major problem with that is... we don't have the front end of the ship with all the communications boards, so being able to fashion a beacon is unlikely... So all we can do is make a design in the sand and hope someone sees it. But..." Vyse paused, his eyes cast downwards   
"...But we're in the middle of a desert, and there's no guarantee that someone will pass over... we could be waiting till we die..." Fina carried on, dejectedly.   
"And even if someone does find us, they might not be friendly," completed Aika.   
"I know it looks bleak, but sitting around doing nothing is even more futile! We've got to at least try something, and we'll survive longer if we don't move about. I had to live on my own on Crescent Isle that time when we got split up, and I was there for a good few weeks before I was found!"   
"But you had water and a plentiful supply of food there, Vyse..." pointed out Aika.   
"We haven't looked round here yet, there could be a spring in a cave in those cliffs, an oasis over that dune, creatures that come out at night... you can't give up, Aika! I've pulled you through everything so far haven't I? Looked after you and stopped you coming to harm!"   
Aika chewed her lip, staring at the ground. "Ok Vyse, I trust you... but you realise I'll beat you if your plan doesn't work!" She flashed her devilish grin at him, the usual glint back in her eyes. Vyse laughed, and stood up, brushing the sand off his trousers.

As the sun set on the desert, the long shadows stretching across the dry sands, Vyse stood at the entrance of a cave and stretched. Not long after outlining the plan for rescue, they had split up and searched for somewhere to stay, and Fina had found a cave with a small spring at the back. Although the water flowing from it was only a small trickle, and unclean, Fina had been able to cast Curia to purify it, and the water could easily be collected while the three slept. They had quickly made the decision to rest during the day and work at night, as it was cooler in the desert then, and the Red Moon stopped it from ever becoming freezing.   
The Rogues had spent a few nights now scavenging the surrounding area for various materials. On the first night Aika had been shocked to see so many small creatures come out at night, and Vyse had quickly devised and constructed a series of simple traps to capture the lizards with. By using some small and otherwise useless red moonstones they had found, they managed to cook the lizards through thoroughly, and although not the tastiest dish they were in ready supply and enough to keep the trio alive.   
Much of the material they had found was stones and rocks of various sizes. There was a growing pile of them kept just outside the cave, waiting to be arranged on the sand. By studying the movement of the moon and sun, Vyse had worked out that they were south of Nasrad, so he had selected a spot that would be easily visible to any ship going to Esperanza from Nasrad or Maramba.   
Vyse walked over to the selected spot and checked it, looking around in the skies in the vague hope of a passing ship. To say that Esperanza was meant to be a new trading town, not much trade seemed to be going to it... but at least no Black Pirates had found them yet. He stared at the rocks, his mind drifting in the heat of the dusk. What if they were never found? Are these few rocks really going to be enough? Suddenly, he jumped and spun on the spot, to find Aika behind him - she had crept up while he was stood there and tickled him. As he came to realise this, he laughed, as much at his own reaction as Aika's actions. She grinned at him, her eyes bright with happiness.   
"Haha... nice to see you can still laugh, Vyse. It's been a while since you have."   
"I've... I've just been thinking... what if we're not found?"   
"What's this? Vyse the Infamous Blue Rogue giving up hope? No, it can't be!" she teased.   
"Heh, I guess you're right... let's get these rocks shifted, they're starting to get in the way of the cave anyway." He smiled, then walked up to her as if he was about to embrace her. As Aika looked at him in blank disbelief, he suddenly tickled her sides then ran off back towards to the rock pile.   
"Gotcha!" he shouted back at her, laughing. 

Vyse looked up at the stars above him and Aika and smiled. He was laid back on the sand, his cutlass belt and Sky-Seer goggles lying nearby in a heap along with Aika's boomerang and glove. Aika herself was laid next to Vyse, with her head resting on his chest. The rock symbol had taken them around two hours, and was some 20 paces each way. Both Air Pirates were exhausted from the effort, and had collapsed onto the sand gratefully when they had finished it.   
"Hey Vyse..." Aika began, "...do you really think it will work? The rocks?"   
"Heh... why not? There must be hundreds of ships flying around the skies these days; someone's bound to spot it. It's not as if we're that far out of the way. Why waste time worrying?"   
Aika smiled and snuggled further into the creases of Vyse's shirt. "I guess so. I... I just want to say thank you, Vyse. I'm stuck out in the middle of a desert with no ship and I'm still smiling, because of you. After all we've been through and everything that's happened, you still haven't forgotten how to manage that." She tilted her head back to look up at him, and grinned. "I've known you for the best part of my life Vyse... and I mean that in two ways."   
Vyse could feel himself starting to blush as he looked back at Aika, so instead he averted his gaze skywards once more. "Don't mention it. Ever since I first made you smile all those years back, it's what I've spent most my time doing. I've just always preferred to do it by catching you out." He looked back at Aika, and a mischievous grin flashed onto his face.   
"Haha, I guess that's true at least." She looked down, biting her lip gently, apparently caught in indecision. Then she looked up again, her usually cheeky eyes serious. "I love you Vyse, you know that?"   
Vyse smiled back at her. "Of course I do. Isn't that part of what best friends is all about? C'mon, we better get back to the cave, Fina'll be wondering what's taking us so long." They had left Fina to cook some food up and purify some more water, as she was somewhat frailer than the other two Rogues and less suited to hefting rocks about the desert. As Vyse stood up, brushing sand off his blue clothing, Aika stared at him. She had said she loved him, and she meant it with all her heart... She just wasn't sure in what way, still, after all these years. 

  
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Well, it's always nice to move a story along some more. At this pace, I should have this finished about the time I finish University. Ho hum. As said before, reviews are lovely, criticism is lovelier (so long as its justified). Having just finished the game again, I'm feeling all fired up again, so I'll update this again soon, promise.   
Incidentally, does anyone know _anything_ about a Europe release of Skies of Arcadia: Legends? It's out in the US now, and as far as I can tell, it's release date is still "To Be Announced" on this side of the Atlantic. I need this game again...   
--Matt 


	7. Chapter Six Rescues and Friends

Author's Notes   
**Disclaimer:** If you've come this far with me, you should know by now that, as a student, I own approximately this many things: none. Let alone something as cool as Skies of Arcadia. NONE OF THIS IS MINE. Really. I've not been lying up 'til now!   
**Reviews:** Review just to let me know that somebody (anybody) is reading this. Constructive criticism can wait, just let me know I'm writing to no-one here.   
**Notes:** As Overworks/Sega/Nintendo have not yet seen fit to honour me with a Europen release for _Legends_, this is all based on the original SoA. No Piastol or any of that plot. I still don't know how Vyse got his scar. I only know what I know from about 5 playthroughs of SoA on my DC. So don't start pointing out plot inconsistencies with Legends, because they most certainly exist. I don't care. My story!   
**Overview:** Last chapter was pretty dull, really. Vyse, Aika and Fina are surviving in the desert and have built a giant symbol thingy with rocks in the sand so a ship will spot them. Yes, it really took me a whole chapter to say that one sentence.   
_**A/N 10 April:** This chapter has been updated since first uploading... there's an extra paragraph at the end now. It just seemed to fit easier in this chapter than in the one I was writing. Nothing else has changed, just that. Sorry :)_

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**Rising Vengeance - _Chapter Six_**  
_Matt Dovey_

It had been four days since Vyse and Aika had built the rock symbol, and nothing had come of it yet. Aika had spotted a ship once, but it was some way away, and probably couldn't see the design - the rocks were all somewhat sandy coloured, as could be expected for a desert. Whilst out wandering one night, Vyse had found a wrecked ship, and the three of them had hauled back the wood so they could have a fire each night.   
The three were around one such campfire now. Aika was sat cross-legged, laughing, and Fina was leaning on an arm with her legs folded, a warm smile on her face. Vyse, meanwhile, was trying to juggle some red moonstones that were lying about. As he juggled, he missed on and it dropped onto his foot. Reaching down to clutch his foot, the laws of gravity performed their job spectacularly on the red moonstone he'd last thrown up, causing it to land on the back of his head. As he fell forward from this last blow, Aika burst out in loud laughter, rolling onto her back. Vyse looked at her and suddenly pounced, tickling her.   
"Think it's funny, eh? Is this funny too?!" he said through his own laughter as he broke through Aika's defences over and over to leave her helpless on the floor. Fina chuckled at the pair, then stopped as she looked behind them, into the night sky. Vyse spotted her, and ceased his tickling of Aika temporarily.   
"What you looking at, Fina?" he asked, his head tilted slightly. When she didn't answer, he followed her gaze upwards.   
By this time, Aika had stopped both her laughing and futile attempts to tickle Vyse back, and looked up at the sky as well. "Is that...?"   
"A flare!" shouted Vyse, standing up and moving quickly out of the cave. "We've been spotted!"   
The other two followed him out and stopped beside him, watching the graceful curve of the flare. As they watched it, there was a slight "phut" off to their left as someone landed in the sand. They turned as one, Vyse's hand automatically going to the hilt of his cutlass. They each stood still for a moment, their lack of night-vision due to the fire meaning that no-one was quite able to make out the features of the new arrival. As the stranger stood up from the crouch they had landed in, his bulky form unfolding slowly, Aika was the first to react.   
"Vigoro!"   
"Hey Red! I never would have thought it'd be you down here! What luck, eh?"   
Vyse stood with his hand on his cutlass, ready to draw it out of its sheath. "What do you want, Vigoro..." he said darkly.   
"Hey, calm it Vyse! I'm only trying to rescue you!"   
"You? Rescue us? Why?"   
"I'm an Air Pirate, I'm not going to leave someone stranded."   
"Hmmm... I guess." Vyse stood up straight, his hand off the pommel of his main cutlass, although tellingly it didn't stray far.   
"So what you say Red," said Vigoro, addressing Aika again, "you wanna come back to my ship with me for a bit?"   
"Eeeeeww!" and a look of disgust was all Aika could reply with.   
"Still liking after Vyse then, eh?" said Vigoro, laughing. Aika blushed a bright red.   
"I do NOT like Vyse that way! He's my best friend, that's all!"   
Vigoro shrugged. "Whatever you say, Red. Guess you all better come back to my ship then, as I've been denied the honour of a little private time. I'll show you round the new ship!" 

"Wow Vigoro... this is a pretty powerful ship you've got here... where'd you get the money to upgrade it?" asked Vyse, who was obviously impressed by the new Draco. Vigoro had taken his original Valuan ship and converted much of it to wood instead of metal, thus making it much faster and more manouverable, as well as cheaper to re-fuel. Much of the upper deck was still metal however, as it still mounted Vigoro's original cannon.   
"I figured that after the Rains had fallen on Valua, there'd be a lot of Black Pirates trying to get hold of the new moonstones, as well as attack Valua, so I just kinda drifted round there and waited for them to drift in."   
Vyse laughed. "You're already becoming a real Blue Rogue, Vigoro... protecting the weak and making money at the same time!"   
"Don't forget looking out for the women, too," winked Vigoro. "Where is it you guys want dropping off?"   
"Just at home, thanks Vigoro."   
"Err... and where's that, kid?"   
"You don't know where Crescent Isle is? It seem like you're about the only one, sometimes," laughed Vyse. "Just head North-East from Nasrad and we'll be in about the right place. I guess it's ok for you to know now that you're on our side." Vyse winked and laughed again. 

"Nice to see you back Vyse, I was beginning to wonder what fun you were up to without me," greeted Gilder.   
"Gilder! When'd you get here?"   
"Couple of days back. I was in the area anyway, so thought I'd drop in, see how things are these days. What's with the big guy?" Gilder nodded at Vigoro, who was stood looking at the base with a certain degree of awe.   
"It's a long story... but Vigoro's a Blue Rogue now, so it's ok."   
"If it's a long story, I guess you best tell me over dinner then," grinned Gilder. 

"De Loco?!" Gilder almost choked on his piece of pie. "How the hell has _he_ survived?" Gilder sat next to Clara at the table. After the last battle for Arcadia against Ramirez, Gilder seemed to have gained some grounding, and had virtually settled down by his standards. All this meant in real terms was that he'd given up on running away from Clara, but she had a permanent grin on her face these days.   
"As far as we can tell," replied Vyse, swallowing, "yes it's De Loco. We still don't know anything about how he came back, or even if it really is him. On the other hand though, I can't really see why anyone would want to be him."   
Gilder laughed at this. "Point taken. Well, if Fina's ship couldn't reach him, I guess there's no way you'll get up to that height, especially without the Silvite ship. You'll just have to wait for him to come to you. Assuming, of course, he will come after you, but I can't see De Loco letting you be. You can be a right pain in the backside when you want, Vyse" he grinned.   
"Wow Gilder, thanks, you really know how to make a man feel good. I guess you're right though. I don't think he'll want to blow me up from a distance... if he did he would have done that last time." Vyse paused to take another mouthful. "He'll probably try to deal with me face to face, so I'll just have to rely on that fact to keep the crew safe. This pie's great, by the way, Clara, thanks a lot." Clara grinned at him, but the combined effect of this grin on top of her usual smile was to merely scrunch her face up, which sent Gilder off into gales of laughter. Clara looked hurt, then pushed him playfully. Gilder was obviously laughing too hard to be paying attention, and fell off, at which point Clara panicked, her mouth in an "O" of shock, and ran over to check he was ok. Upon finding he was, she hugged him close to her chest.   
"Sickens you, doesn't it?" commented Aika to Vyse.   
Vyse nodded in mute acknowledgement, then turned to Vigoro. "So how come you became a Blue Rogue then, instead of a Black Pirate?"   
Vigoro finished swallowing his food. "I figured that if I couldn't beat you guys, I may as well join you," smiled Vigoro.   
"Oh gods... something else the world has me to blame for... Admiral Vigoro _helping_ people."   
"Hey, be gentle Vyse! And, uh..." Vigoro sighed. "...I prefer the Admiral thing not to be mentioned now. Since I became a Blue Rogue, I've realised how... terrible I was. I was no better than a bully, and treated people like... well, like Sky Sardis." Vigoro managed a weak smile, then sighed. "But that's all changed now, and I'm out helping those weaker than I am, so I've been pretty busy." Vigoro winked then laughed. "Speaking of which, I'm going again tomorrow, more women than time."   
"Haha, I know the feeling well," said Gilder, sitting back down on his chair, "I might have to join you."   
"Gilder! Don't you dare!" came the voice of Clara from the floor. 

The reconstruction of Crescent Isle after the attack was going well. Kirala had organised the crew into workteams and had them working a rota basis, so the island was being worked on for 18 hours a day. Vyse stood on the balcony, watching his crew work, and felt a momentary swell of pride in his breast. The Air Pirates had waved Vigoro off that morning, and were now gathering for a meeting. Vyse was taking the chance of a breath of fresh air while they waited for Aika still, relaxing in the warm sunshine they enjoyed this close to the red moon. While he looked out to the sky beyond, that infinite, limitless sky, Aika walked up and stood next to him, leaning on the rails.   
"Hey Vyse," she opened as she looked down at the rebuilding below.   
Vyse turned his head and looked at her. "Hey Aika," he smiled, "put an appearance in eventually."   
"I had to sort my hair out. YOu wouldn't understand Vyse." She stuck her tongue out at him and turned to go inside.   
"You needed to get your hair ready?!" he asked incredulously, "We're only having a meeting, Aika!"   
She looked back and flashed him a grin, then entered in through the door. Vyse put his hand to his head and sighed, then followed in after her. Gilder was stood admiring the large painting on the back wall, while Clara and Fina talked at the table. As Aika went to the table, she greeted them with a "Hey guys!" and Vyse followed behind and sat down. Gilder had turned around upon on hearing Aika, and sat down at the table with the rest now.   
"Right," said Vyse, leaning on the table, "we're dealing with something that's a very real threat now. Even if it isn't De Loco, whoever it is is still both dangerous and insane, not mentioning the fact they seem to have a grudge against me." Vyse paused, and sighed. "As Gilder said last night, we can't plan for De Loco. We'll have to treat him like a natural disaster, in that way."   
"I'd say his birth was a disaster for nature," muttered Gilder from the corner. Fina giggled at him, her hand over her mouth, and he smiled back at her.   
"About all we can do right now is let the people who need to know, know. I would say the first place De Loco is likely to go would be Valua, perhaps to try and take control of it, perhaps to get Alfonso. Either way, Enrique needs to know, so I would suggest we head there first."   
"I'll join you, Vyse. After all, you always seem to have all the fun, even when it's always me who's looking for it," smiled Gilder.   
"You're not going without me, Gilder!" said Clara.   
"I just knew you were gonna say that, Clara," groaned Gilder, but he didn't seem to complain too much.Vyse smiled at the pair, but Aika's subtlety was lacking somewhat as she laughed out loud at the two. "What?!" was Gilder's only defense. 

There was a knock at Vyse's door as he packed his things ready for the voyage on the morrow. "Hello?" he asked, still folding clothes.   
"Vyse..."   
"Oh hey Ilchymis, come in."   
"Thank you, Vyse. I have a favour to ask of you."   
"Sure, what is it?" said Vyse, putting a shirt into a case.   
"As you are aware, I decided to follow the medical profession out of a desire to help people. I have very much enjoyed my time with you and your crew, Vyse, but I feel that now is the ideal time to set up my dream - to help people. All people, irrespective of class." Ilchymis nudged his glasses up his nose a bit, and sighed. "I would like to come with you when you go to Valua, Vyse. I would like to return home."   
Vyse smiled. "Of course, Ilchymis. You've never had to stay with us. Enrique will be happy to have you join him. Are you just setting up shop?"   
"At first, I had thought to, yes... but I have decided that perhaps the best way to help a lot of people would be to set up a college. To teach, to pass on what I have learnt. If I can teach just ten people to heal properly... that could be ten times as many lives saved in the long run. I've felt this building up for a long time now, and I'm sure on it. I need to help my people again."   
"You'll be missed, Ilchymis. Was there anything else?"   
"No thank you... just that. I'll leave you to finish your packing." Ilchymis turned and walked towards the door. "Vyse, I... thank you."   
"What's to be thanked for? You could have left any time, you don't need permission."   
"No, I mean... for bringing me out of my solitude. I have a real chance to help people, to make an impact now. I never would have had that chance if it wasn't for your tenacity in persuading me to leave my island. So I thank you."   
"Heh... you're welcome, Ilchymis." 

  
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Ok, the last couple of chapters haven't had much happening, but I PROMISE the next one will have some action... the reason not much has happened recently is basically, I've been stalling. I'll admit it, I've not had a plan for this story. I had one once, but I lost it and forgot it, as there was an 8 month gap in the story or whatever it was. BUT, I've written one again, or at least an immediate one, that gets me back on track to the vague outline I'm carrying in my head. So the next update should, hopefully, be up pretty soon.   
On a similar note, Sega have finally seen fit to answer my prayers and decide a release date for SoA:L in Europe (May 23rd). So, as this story is based on the original SoA, I would like to get this story out the way before that point in time - otherwise I'll end up going through this and trying to correct it all, and I don't want to. So I'll try my best to get this story written and out the way by that point, but I'm not making any promises on that - after all, I have got my A-Level exams coming up about the time SoA:L come's out (d'oh!), and suffice to say, they're pretty damn important, considering my getting into Uni depends on them.   
Till next time,   
Matt 


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